METI and JETRO Embark on New Portal Website “Open for Professionals”

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) jointly launched a new portal website called “Open for Professionals”. Aiming to facilitate the acceptance of highly-skilled foreign professionals in Japan, this one-stop website will provide reader-friendly information for both foreign professionals, including foreign students currently in Japan, and companies that intend to employ such professionals.

1. Background

To achieve Society 5.0 policy and create innovation, it is indispensable for Japan to proactively accept overseas people who have highly-advanced expert knowledge and skills (highly-skilled foreign professionals). The Future Investment Strategy 2018 approved by the Cabinet on June 15, 2018 makes a proposal that Japan should promote acceptance of highly-skilled foreign professionals. Moreover, the Comprehensive Measures for the Acceptance and Inclusion of Foreign Human Resources, which were approved by the Ministerial Council on Acceptance and Inclusion of Foreign Human Resources on December 25, 2018, set up bold and wide-ranging measures for employment of foreign students currently in Japan, who are potential highly-skilled professionals.

2. Outline of the website

In response to the proposal shown in the Future Investment Strategy 2018, on December 25, 2018, METI and JETRO opened a new portal website called “Open for Professionals” on the JETRO website . This effort is also part of the measures stipulated in the Comprehensive Measures for the Acceptance and Inclusion of Foreign Human Resources.

In collaboration with related ministries and agencies, this one-stop website will convey to the public a collection of reader-friendly, well-organized information on: living conditions, employment and business environments; immigration systems; internships, job fairs, seminars and other occasions organized by related ministries and agencies. English translation will be uploaded around April of 2019. Moreover, the website will start providing information on mid-ranking companies and SMEs that are interested in employment of highly-skilled foreign professionals in April 2019, information on universities and colleges in Japan to which foreign students who wish to be employed by companies in Japan belong in July 2019, and provide more information in order to further enhance the usefulness of the website.

3. Future actions

From April 2019, METI will develop a new framework for providing mentoring or collaborative support for mid-ranking companies and SMEs. The framework will aim to support such companies in various steps, ranging from understanding procedures for hiring such professionals, to solving challenges therein, to developing employment environments for empowerment of overseas human resources, and to encouraging foreign professionals to settle down in Japan. METI will make continuous efforts to promote development of business environments for further acceptance of highly-skilled foreign professionals in Japan and to promote necessary measures therefor, in collaboration with related ministries and agencies.